The newly formed parish of Saint John Henry Newman held its first Pastoral Parish Council meeting on January 4th 2012. This marked the beginning of new journey for all the Council members as the Council was to be a different kind of gathering from anything they had previously experienced.

Our Parish Vision statement is to be a welcoming Catholic community:

• Which proclaims the Gospel by word and example
• Which gathers round the Eucharist in prayer and worship
• Where all can grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord
• Which is committed to the joyful service of our neighbour

As a Council, our purpose is:

• To work with the Parish Priest to enable the parish community to implement its vision
• To assist in planning, organising and reviewing the evangelisation, worship, religious education and service activities within the parish

Our objectives are:

• To adequately assess the needs of the whole parish and its members, and to develop and implement a pastoral plan which will promote the common good of the parish
• To foster a sense of community in the parish and to coordinate all parish activities in a manner which will best serve the interests of the parish
• To promote ways in which the parish participates in the wider life of the Diocese and the the Church Membership

The Council consists of the parish clergy and the parish sister (ex officio members), together with nine parishioners - three from each of the three former parishes (i.e. Corpus Christi, St. Gregory's and St. Theresa's) who are nominated/elected by fellow parishioners. These members have a time-limited period of service, each serving a three-year term with the possibility of reappointment for a further term after which they are ineligible to serve for three years. The Council operates a rolling membership for purposes of continuity, so that only one third of the Council seats are open for election/re-election each year.

Council Members

Fr Pat Wall PP
Fr Michael Hughes
Fr Jijimon Mani
Deacon Sean Quigley

Josephine (Joy) Alvarze
Kerry Pena
Eileen Ripley
June Lightfoot
Sheelagh Pickles Vic-Chairperson
Maura Guy
Laura Dowd
Patrick Bradley PPC Chairperson

Meetings

The Pastoral Council normally meets six times a year and seeks to make decisions by consensus.